Produced by Sivalenka Krishna Prasad's Sridevi Movies, Gentleman stars Nani in double role alongside Surbhi, Nivetha Thomas, Tanikella Bharani, Srinivas Avasarala and Vennela Kishore.
After hearing from Gautham's mother Yashoda about his death in an accident ten days earlier, she leaves the house grief-stricken.
Catherine finds the discharge papers of David and Gautham and a document confirming the transfer of ₹5 billion from Aishwarya's company.
After a dejected Aishwarya calls off the marriage and leaves, Catherine confronts Jai and challenges him to unveil his real self as a murderer and fraudster.
A dying Mohan reveals that Vamsi coerced him to invest in betting and illegal businesses, which resulted in a loss of nearly ₹5 billion, for which Aishwarya's father Ram Prakash agreed to reimburse him.
After the release of Bandipotu (2015), filmmaker Mohan Krishna Indraganti began working on two scripts; one of those reached completion in March 2015.
Indraganti stated that he had long been keen on making a film based on that concept, adding that it would be a completely new genre for him.
[8] R. David Nathan was credited with providing the story and scenario, while Indraganti penned the screenplay and the dialogue besides co-writing the script.
Indraganti signed his protégé Nani as the protagonist after being impressed with his performance as a selfish businessperson in Yevade Subramanyam (2015); it marked their second collaboration after Ashta Chamma (2008).
[16] Indraganti stated that the film "explores human frailties" and lacks a "conventional villain, one who is completely bad".
[8] Surbhi and Nivetha Thomas were cast as the female leads in September 2015;[17][18] Gentleman marks the latter's debut in Telugu cinema.
[20] Commenting on Aishwarya's characterisation, Surbhi stated that she would play a rich young entrepreneur who "has her values intact and takes life very seriously" besides being "generous and compassionate".
[21] Nivetha called her role as Catherine an "independent, vulnerable and modern girl who is ready to take on any challenge head-on".
[17] The film's cast and crew, including the director, underwent a thorough reading session to better understand the story and its characters before rehearsals.
[34] Reviewing the soundtrack, The Times of India gave a rating of four stars and stated that it "excels with various styles and genres, kicking mediocrity out of the window".
The newspaper termed "Chali Gaali Chuudduu" a "real gem of a song", praising the lyrics and an interlude with trumpet solo that "comes as a breath of fresh air".
[35] Karthik Srinivasan, writing for The Hindu, found the second interlude of "Chali Gaali Chuudduu" a "beautifully melodic and extended" one similar to the works of Ilaiyaraaja.
[36] Gentleman was released worldwide on 17 June 2016 in 700 screens, competing with other Telugu films such as Guppedantha Prema, Premikudu, and Rudra IPS.
[39] According to Indo-Asian News Service, Gentleman had the third biggest release for a South Indian film to that point after 24 and Theri.
[42] Mridula Ramadugu of Firstpost praised the performances of Nani and Niveda in particular and called Gentleman a very subtle thriller that "stands out from the typical, action drama".
[43] Purnima Sriram of The New Indian Express termed the film a "game changer" in Nani's career, and one that can "penetrate minds with intelligent moves in every scene".
[44] Writing for The Hindu, Sangeetha Devi Dundoo gave three and a half stars out of five and called Gentleman an "intriguing tale marked by fine performances".
[45] Suresh Kavirayani of the Deccan Chronicle also gave the film three and a half stars out of five, praising the performances of the principal cast and Sharma's score.
"[47] Sify also gave the film a rating of three stars and called it a "neat thriller" that "doesn't move to the next level after promising best in the interval period".
[48] In contrast, L. Ravichander of The Hans India rated the film two stars out of five and criticised the performances of the principal cast except that of Nani for lacking authenticity, adding that the actor "fights a lone battle to bring credibility".
[49] Gentleman debuted with earnings of US$71,938 (₹48.25 lakh) from its premiere shows, surpassing the records set by Nani's previous films.
According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, it collected a total of US$872,320 (₹5.86 crore) in 17 days at the United States box office.
[57] The film managed to retain nine screens in the United States after the release of Sultan and witnessed a drop of 80% in its earnings; it collected a total of US$897,001 (₹6.03 crore) in 24 days.